Medieval Europe: Knights, Serfs, Kings and the Church
Like their Samurai counterparts of Japan, the knights of Europe lived to protect their ruler. However, unlike the emperor of Japan, the King had actual power over the land he controlled. Although the King was not decided by being in the royal bloodline, the church decided who was king because it was God’s choice, who would rule the land. Because the church held ultimate power in Europe, they were able spread Christianity as a mainstream religion. Nevertheless, because of the many regions of Europe, and the eventual segregation between Catholicism and Prodicent Christianity, there were several Kings throughout Europe. After the King was chosen, They would select Barons who would receive there own territory called a manor.
A Baron’s manor was like having a private country. Within the boundaries of the manor, they issued their own currency, taxes and system of justice that the residents were required to live by. In return for receiving a manor, Barons had to provide the king with rent payments for the land that they were using, tax payments, be apart of the royal council, and provide the king with knights when he needed military power. Barons kept as much of the land that they had received from the king as they wanted and provided the rest to the knights, as payments for their military service. Barons were aristocratic individuals who had authority, but not as much authority as the king or the church.
Knights were the main strength of military in Europe. Appointed by Barons for their protection and for the army. Knights were referred to as “Sirs” because they were treated with great respect since they were the defenders of their region. A knight’s responsibilities are to defend the manor from attack, submit to the king’s military service when asked to, and appointed serfs, to work as laborers on the land. Knights wore armor of chainmail and later made of cumbersome. They were armed with a broad sword, a shield baring the crest of their King, and a horse for quick travel into unknown territories or swift movements in a war. Knights would also compete in melee tournaments in an arena for both a prize, and entertainment for the audience. Knights started their training around the age of seven so that they could have many years of training in combat skills, riding skills, and archery.
Serfs, often referred to as Villeins, were the workers of the land. They had no rights and could never leave the manor. Serfs had to ask the Baron of the land if they could marry and when a serf’s child was born it was the same fate as the father them self, the son was tied down to the land and had to do manual labor for both the baron of the manor, and the knights. Serfs were extremely poor and usually received rotten food and hand me down supplies and tools. Other than these classes, the rest of Europe was regular merchants, civilians or blacksmiths.
The legal system of medieval Europe is a little similar to our judicial system today in America. There would be a trial and the defendant would explain himself with his point of view, the victim or a witness will either agree or disagree with the defendant then the king would make a decision. There were several ways of punishment after losing a trial: labor, fines, imprisonment and often execution. If the defendant were innocent, the accuser would have to suffer a punishment chosen by the king.
The Mythological view of Medieval Europe tells of Dragons, wizards and other mystical creatures. One of the major Myths was that of the sword in the stone known as Excalibur. The legend tells us that Arthur pulled the sword in the stone and his instructor was the great wizard Merlin, and became king of England until he was defeated by his half sister enchantress Morgan le Fay. The only proven parts of this myth were that Arthur was king of England and that his half sister was Morgan le Fay, The rest might just be propaganda to make Arthur seem like a greater king than he really was.
The Middle ages also brought the spread of disease to Europe known as the Plagues. Because Europeans had no real medical education within Medieval times, they relied on prayer and homemade remedies to cure plagues. Many people died from these diseases, some survived to be killed by another disease. The plagues were mostly caused by the contaminated water that the Europeans would drink. After they realized the water was infected they would only drink ale, even the children had to drink ale because the water was not safe for them to consume. When someone was poisoned, they would wrap a cloth under the targeted area so that the poison would not spread to the rest of the body, however doing so cut of the circulation of the blood stream so they would attach leaches to the infected areas to suck out the, “Bad Blood.” This process however only kept the poisoned individual alive a little longer or they died from blood loss caused by the leaches.
Another ideal the 12th century brought to Europe was the use of inventions in warfare. Europeans would include the catapult in there military campaigns to break holes in massive fortresses or to take out as many enemy soldiers as they can at once. Another invention the 12th century introduced to Europe was the crossbow. A mechanized bow that would launch the arrow farther than a regular wooden bow could. These inventions helped wars end sooner than they would with just soldiers attacking soldiers.
The 12th century in Europe had gone from its successor of only having native clans to the land to many kingdoms spreading across the land. Europe was introduced to a system of monarchy controlled by the church, the division of power between the King, Barons, Knights and Serfs. It also brought about the inventions and usage of the catapult and crossbow in warfare, The spread of the Plagues, and the Myth of the sword in the stone. The organization of power in Europe is parallel to the system made by Medieval Japan. Why did this common phenomenon occur?
Citation:
F. Ziegler, Herbert, and Jerry H. Bentley. Traditions and Encounters. 2/e. New York City, NY: Primis Custom Publishing, 1998. (Ziegler and Herbert Ch. 24)
"Life of a Knight." Knights and Armor. 30 December 2008. Knights and Armor. 5 Jan 2009 <http://www.knightsandarmor.com/life.htm>. ("Life of a Knight")
Wheeler, Heather. "Medieval Life Feudalism." History on the Net. 03 January 2009. History on the Net. 5 Jan 2009 <http://www.historyonthenet.com/Medieval_Life/feudalism.htm>. (Wheeler)
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